Differentiating support and monitoring of continuous improvement plans; and

Organizing and managing systems of Networked Improvement Communities (NICs) in which schools can test and revise improvement theories, as well as share promising practices.

Theory of Action

If the AOE is fully committed to continuous improvement for Vermont Education Quality Standards (EQS) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) expectations, then, we will operate from a shared vision and collective responsibility, and apply a systemic approach to continuous improvement by:

Using quantitative and qualitative data, evidence, research, and current technology for ongoing assessment and evaluation of the efficacy of our work;

Co-operating and collaborating across divisions on projects, professional projects, policy development and implementation efforts, and field technical assistance and professional learning;

Applying a project-management approach to strategically plan and adapt our work to meet the changing needs of the field;

Engaging in partnerships with community members, families, institutes of higher education, other governmental agencies, and other relevant stakeholders;

Supporting school systems through consistent and transparent messaging, useful and timely resources, and differentiated coaching or professional learning for improvement efforts; and

We have been in the process of maximizing the quality of internal infrastructure and processes in order to better support the needs of our local education agencies (LEAs) and schools. Our Education Quality Team (formerly School Effectiveness) is committed to providing evidence-informed, differentiated technical assistance, resources, professional learning opportunities, and support to local education agencies, based on a coherent education quality framework for continuous improvement. Our goal is to build statewide capacity, equity, internal accountability, and improve educational outcomes for all. Collectively, with other newly formed Agency of Education teams, we are integrating our Education Quality Standards, as well as the new federal ESSA standards for equity, to best support LEAs and schools.

Education Quality and Continuous Improvement Framework

The Education Quality and Improvement Framework is a comprehensive document that features a synthesis of research, resources for developing a deeper understanding of Vermont’s Education Quality Standards, as well as in-depth support for the continuous improvement process. The document is intended to be one in which updates will occur frequently, to ensure that we are meeting the needs of Vermont educators, as well as providing them with the most current research.

Federal School Improvement Program Assistance

Our team manages federal programs for school improvement by:

Administering the school improvement grant application and approval process;

Guiding the development and implementation of comprehensive support and improvement programs, and targeted support and improvement programs, as described in Every Student Succeeds Act, as well as monitoring the implementation and impact;

Organizing and coordinating the support system, in collaboration with other AOE teams; and

Further, our Education Quality Team also uses a collaborative approach for supporting schools. We assume collective responsibilities for all LEAs and you may contact any member of our team for technical assistance and support.